The Pull

“I can feel it now . . . the pull . . . ,” Eric said to me from across the table. We sat in a Seattle restaurant waiting for our food to come and for the friends/supporters we were meeting to join us. “Living in a beautiful state, having a cutting-edge career, a better income, easy access to so many things . . .”

We have been back in the States for less than a week, and the pull of the American Dream already tugs at us. Ease, prosperity, access, abundance—the things we used to take for granted—now stand in harsh contrast to our village life. As we step back into American society, they become powerful lures.

“But think about the beautiful, fulfilling life we have in Cambodia,” I said. “I wouldn’t trade that.” Seeing our friends thirsting for God and asking for daily Bible studies, nourishing a small Bible study group with God’s Word every Sabbath in our home, and caring for our friends in need—nothing compares to that. The difficult aspects of mission life didn’t come to mind in that moment.

I can’t deny that I have, at times, imagined my “American Dream life,” or what I’d do if I weren’t a missionary. Does it sound lovely and tempting? Of course, in many ways it does. But the pull to missions has always been stronger in my heart. Ever since God put the calling in our hearts, we have had no question about where God wants us right now.

We are planning to be in the U.S. briefly to deliver our first child, and we look forward to returning to our friends who are longing to know Jesus in our little, slow-paced, riverside village. Life inside of God’s will is the dream life. What about you? Can you feel it—the pull to your mission field?